Green Chile Chicken Soup

Green Chile Chicken Soup is flavorful and hearty – packed with veggies, beans, and chicken, it is the perfect thing to whip up for a quick and satisfying fall dinner.

It is officially soup season, and I am so excited about it! One of my absolute favorite things to make on fall weekends is a big pot of soup. This Green Chile Chicken Soup is the first soup I made this fall, and we absolutely loved it. It is so flavorful and is packed with tons of veggies, chicken, and beans – filling, healthy, and delicious.

And today is Mystery Dish day! Our host this month is Zainab from Blahnik Baker. She was one of the first friends I made in the blog world and she is just the best – if you haven’t seen her blog I definitely recommend it. You will love her and all of her delicious baked goods!

For some reason, I had a hard time with this month’s ingredients. The list was:

and we had to use 3. I was feeling so un-creative, but then at the last minute was inspired by Green Chiles and decided to make green chile chicken soup. And in the end, I used FOUR ingredients – green chiles, pinto beans, cardamom, and feta.

This soup is so easy to make and is full of tons of healthy ingredients – onions, carrots, celery, chicken breast, pinto beans, tomatoes and of course green chiles. It is packed with flavor and nutrition. I served it topped with fresh lime juice, which brightens up all the flavors. Then I garnished with chopped cilantro and some feta cheese. The southwestern / Mexican flavors in this soup are delicious, and it is the perfect fall dinner!

Green Chile Chicken Soup is flavorful and hearty - packed with veggies, beans, and chicken, it is the perfect thing to whip up for a quick and satisfying fall dinner.

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

3 cardamom pods

dash cayenne

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 (4oz) cans diced green chiles

1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can pinto bean, drained and rinsed

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to pot. Cook about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate.

Turn heat down to medium and add 1 - 2 tablespoons more oil (depending on how much oil is left after cooking chicken). Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook 5 - 7 minutes until onions are browned and vegetables are starting to soften, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, chile powder, cumin, cardamom, and cayenne and stir constantly for a minute. Stir in salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes and chiles and cook for 3 minutes.

Add broth and water and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, shred or dice the chicken.

Puree half the beans in a food processor with a splash of stock or water.

Stir pureed beans into soup. Then add cooked chicken and beans to the pot. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Discard cardamom pods.

I could eat soup any day of the year, even when it’s 90 degrees out! But especially when the weather gets cooler, I always crave it. This green chile soup sounds so flavorful, Cate! Perfect for this time of year!

Ooh, I really like the cardamom in this soup! That definitely makes this stand out, as if I needed any more reason to love green chile chicken soup. It’s a staple comfort food in the fall! Great recipe Cate!